Teachable Moments: Carter's 'malaise' speech maligned, but it had effect

4:46 AM,
Jul. 15, 2013

President Jimmy Carter spoke to the nation about the energy crisis on July 15, 1979.

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It is the rare presidential speech that can profoundly affect the public's perception of how he is doing on the job, and when public approval soars 42 percent after a national address, it would be reasonable to assume that the speech should go down as one of the all-time greats.

Well, we all know what assume means, because this speech would be cited as a key reason he lost his re-election bid in 1980.

On Sunday evening, July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter, sat before a national audience and told the country what it might need to hear, though it might not appreciate. ...